The subject matter disclosed herein relates to electric machines, such as electric generators and motors, and more specifically, to improving electrical insulation and heat dissipation of a stator and/or a rotor of an electric machine.
Certain electric machines, such as electric generators and motors, typically employ a combination of a rotor and a stator to convert rotational energy into electrical energy and vice versa. The generator may include slotted cores (e.g., magnetic cores) having electrical conductors (e.g., coil windings) disposed in slots thereof, and the cores or the electrical conductors are electrically insulated from one another to prevent grounding of the conductors to the core. For example, insulation materials, such as polymer films and insulation papers can be used as slot liners and/or ground wall insulation to provide electrical insulation between the coil windings and the slotted core in the electric machine. However, materials with good dielectric properties often exhibit poor thermal conductivity, which hinders the dissipation of heat from the stator and/or rotor. This poor heat dissipation may result in a reduction in power generating efficiency and/or power density, which are key performance parameters of a generator.